Once Upon a More Enlightened Time: More Politically Correct Bedtime Stories

I love re-tellings of old tales. And Garner did a classy job in Politically Correct Bedtime Stories. He tries to continue the rich vein here, but it shrivels to mediocrity.
The PC language is still funny, but the inspired twists are missing.
The book is on my ‘to get rid of’ pile.
The best of the stories is “Sleeping Persun of Better-Than-Average Attractiveness.”

PS: the jacket blurb boasts that the London daily Telegraph has called Garner a “smart-alec, mealy-mouthed creep.” So much for good karma.

Clever, funny book. Well-known fairy tales (including works by the Brothers Grimm and H.C. Andersen) are retold, attempting to remove all traces of sexism, racism, culturalism, nationalism, regionalism, ageism, 'look-ism,' 'able-ism,' 'size-ism,' 'species-ism,' intellectualism, socioeconomic views, enthnocentrism, phallocentrism, heteropatriarchalism, and other biases. Among the stories given fresh modern spins are Little Red Riding Hood, the Three Little Pigs, Rapunzel, Rumpelstiltskin, and (my personal favorite) the Three Codependent Goats Gruff. Absurd at times, true, but fun.

This sequel to the author’s first book of politically correct bedtime stories is not quite as humorous as the book that precedes it, but it is still entertaining. The endings of these well-known fairy tales are quite different, so it’s not just the terminology that the author has cleaned up. Hares, cats, and princesses are finally getting what they deserve. Interesting reading for the enlightened mind.

Although this was written over 20 years ago, it fit in well with current perceptions. I liked the twist and turn of language, and the humour. But I don't think I can read a lot of this kind of re-hashing - 9 short stories was just the right length. A very refreshing change to the usual fairy tales.

How many of us as children heard the fairy tales Hansel & Gretel, Puss in Boots, and the Tortoise & the Hare? How many of us wanted to be the Princess & the Pea?(me), The Little Mermaid, Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, or Goldilocks? Did we know at that time we were being exposed to sexist, discriminatory, culturally biased material by our parents and loved ones? Did we have any idea of how these "fairy tales" would affect our futures?

These alternate versions of the beloved "fairy tales" by Aesop, the Brothers Grimm, and Hans Christian Andersen, to name a few take a decidedly different turn when written from a politically correct angle. Who would believe that Snow White and her wicked stepmother would end up friends, or that the Tortoise show more would be disqualified after the race? These are but a few of unusual twists and turns that political correctness takes in these stories.

I heard about this books from Whisper1 and ran right out and got them from the library. Some of the tales are so funny I laughed till I cried, others not so much, but definitely worth the read. Thanks Whisper! show less

Summary: The classic stories we tell our children are full of sexist, classist, ageist, speciesist, and heteronormative biases. James Finn Garner, despite being a white male, attempts to strip these biases and provide fairy tales for a more enlightened, liberated, and politically correct generation. In this sequel, he provides slightly more detailed re-tellings of Hansel and Gretel, The Ant and the Grasshopper, The Princess and the Pea, The Little Mer-Persun, The Tortoise and the Hare, Puss in Boots, Sleeping Persun of Better-Than-Average Attractiveness, and The City Mouse and the Suburban Mouse.

Review: The second book contains stories that are longer, more detailed than those of the first book, and more radical departures from their show more original forms (Hansel and Gretel learn dark magicks from the Wicca in the candy house, and use it against their forest-destroying woodchopper father). Consequently, they’re a little weaker - or maybe I was just over the joke by that point. Also, although this sort of contradicts what I just said, I felt like in some cases there were opportunities to really re-tell the fairy tale in a subversively funny way that were just missed in favor of the more obvious joke.

Not for kids, although that's more due to them not getting the jokes than to any inappropriate content. 3.5 out of 5 stars.

Recommendation: Not as punchy as the first, and the jokes felt like they'd all been done before. show less

This sequel to 'Politically Correct Bedtime Stories' simply falls flat for me. Perhaps such stories as Hansel and Gretel, the Tortoise and the Hare, Puss in Boots, and "Sleeping Persun of Better-Than-Average Attractiveness" simply do not lend themselves to the same treatment that the stories in the previous volume received; perhaps they are just not as well done; perhaps the clever concept of the earlier book had simply run its course. -- Of course, as is the case with the first book, this reads quickly, so not so very much time is wasted. Still, I would not recommend this.